After 85 Years, DC Upgrades Aquaman into a Full-Fledged Cosmic Hero

He might be the ocean’s greatest hero, but Aquaman has his sights set on the entire universe. It has been an absolute trip watching Aquaman evolve over the last year or so in his current ongoing series. Arthur seemingly lost everything: his wife, his daughter, and even the kingdom of Atlantis. But with Mera’s hydrokinetic powers (gifted to Arthur following the power scramble in Absolute Power), Aquaman began a quest to save his family and his people. And in doing so, Arthur began to grow in ways that even his biggest fans never expected.

During his quest, Aquaman encountered other water-based heroes and ended up forming his own Justice League offshoot, Justice League Blue. But even cooler than that, Aquaman has become the avatar of the Blue, a mystical elemental force similar to the Green, one that connects all ocean life across the entire DC Universe. However, things started to look dire last issue when Arthur’s role was usurped in the last issue by Lolanna, his mother-in-law and Queen of Xebel. Arthur was turned to water and disappeared, but the DCU has bigger plans for the iconic king.

Aquaman Goes Next Level and is Heading Out to Protect Water Life Everywhere

In Emperor Aquaman #15 by Jeremy Adams, John Timms, Rex Lokus, and Dave Sharpe, Arthur has been split into several iterations of himself. A younger and older version of Arthur find one another and head to a recreation of the lighthouse they once lived in. There, they find another aspect of Arthur, and the three discuss Lolanna’s attempt to take the Blue for herself. There’s some discord within Arthur, but all aspects of himself get on board when they realize Mera is in trouble. The trio comes together and finds a way out of the Blue and back home.

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In the Pacific Ocean, Mera does battle with her mother, but unfortunately, Lolanna is channeling the Blue’s power, giving her a huge advantage over her daughter. She uses Arthur’s trident to fight back and manages to sense Arthur’s life force within it. She calls out to Aquaman, who emerges from the Blue, now once again fully in control of the powerful, elemental force. Aquaman banishes Lolanna into the Blue, reunites with Mera, and revives Justice League Blue. And in his greatest show of magic, Arthur undoes the spell that hid Atlantis away, bringing everything back to normal.

A ceremony is held for Aquaman to address his people, but Arthur can’t stop thinking about how much responsibility he has now as the avatar of the Blue. Arthur tells the Atlanteans that they can’t keep themselves isolated anymore, telling them that they must work together with ocean life beyond the Earth if they want to fight the darkness that threatens them. Arthur makes a grand display for his people, asking who among them will join him in his new mission to protect the cosmos’ water life, to the roaring applause of the entire kingdom.

Emperor Aquaman Continues to Show How Awesome Arthur Curry Really Is

While fans have been stanning their king for decades, the general public viewed Aquaman as lame, largely due to the Super Friends cartoon reducing his powers to simply talking with ocean creatures. But the tide, so to speak, has been shifting in Arthur’s favor. Writers like Geoff Johns, Kelly Sue Deconnick, and Ram V wrote some incredible stories that showed off how awesome he really was, and the DCEU Aquaman film really improved Arthur’s public image for a new generation of fans. Adams’ Aquaman is leaning into this, building on Arthur’s meteoric rise to make him even cooler.

Admittedly, Aquaman going cosmic might be a stretch. But he wouldn’t be the first Earthbound hero to do so, and honestly, it fits Aquaman’s journey. He’s connected to the Blue now, and thus, all water life in the DCU. We know other planets in this universe have water, so why not use that as a means to bring Arthur into a bigger, bolder new world? Sending Aquaman into space is certainly an unconventional step, but let’s be real. There’s only so much Aquaman can do in water. In space, though? That’s another story (and hopefully, an exciting one)

I don’t think Adams is doing this for the sake of making Arthur seem cool or to tell the wildest fish-out-of-water story of all time. I think this is a good, natural evolution to what Aquaman has been through in this series. As an avatar of the Blue, Aquaman has a chance to do some serious good for the DC Universe, and I’m excited to see what this new chapter has in store for him. Is it an outrageous idea? Sure. But seasoned fans know, Aquaman thrives when it comes to the outrageous.

What do you think about Aquaman becoming a cosmic hero? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!